Looking Ahead and Reflecting Behind

Today, I would like to open up the doors of time and take a glance at what I wish to see in my future…WARNING: this is NOT prophetic – most likely I will either change my mind or a door will be closed to me. (The chances of the former are slim, but the chances of the latter?…no comment.)

Anyways…

There is a horse trainer stationed in Texas that I absolutely swear by – of course, I don’t swear, so it’s just a figure of speech here. He goes by the name of Clinton Anderson, and he owns/operates Downunder Horsemanship. He does an apprenticeship program for adults ages 18 and up, and I have decided that that is something I would love to do.

Clinton with his Austrailian Quarter Horse mare Mindy - this guy is great with horses!

Why would I want to work six days a week from before sunup to after sundown for three years of my life just to earn the title of a “Certified Downunder Horsemanship Clinician”?

Key word there: work.



Here I am with "The Man Behind the Method", Clinton Anderson. He is a true-as-steel kind of guy - he even signed my Breyer model :-)



I know that a lot of people say that “education is key” – and I wholeheartedly believe that statement. But, there are two extremes – people with no education at all, and people with…dare I say it?...too much education. I don’t want to go to school for a decade just so I can travel the world and retire at the age of fifty. I want to earn my living – not live easy and be able to afford every gadget, gizmo, and interior design plan ever created – simply because all that stuff isn’t the point of life.

Okay, now I’ll step down from my soapbox.

Anyhoo, that’s what I have been dreaming about since I went to a Clinton Anderson tour stop in Klamath Falls.

 I’ve been practicing his training methods on every horse I get my hands on – and they work, of course J.

In the nearer future, however, I hope to be painting this guy:

Ta da! He is ready for one more sanding session now!

New tail - yeah, it could have been better, but...oh well.

New forelock - I didn;t want to make it too thick for fear of interfering with a future parade bridle :-)

I added a little to his lips to give him a little bit of a parrot mouth - he's being made after Trigger, who seems to have this same "lip"

He’s gonna be a nice, golden palomino…*drools*

with the help of Chris Nandell’s book, “Trade Secrets and Methods of a Model Horse Artist” that I plan to buy with the money I earned selling my Four Seasons treasure hunt set…and *gasp* I’ve sold 5 Breyer models in the past week! (I earned $150 doing that, though, so I’m happy – and I have shelf space!!)

And on a more reflective note, I even graduated from High School this year – took the GED and passed, and hopefully next year I’ll be able to go to the community college and take a few courses – and have an AA degree by the time I’m 18 – and when I’m 18, I can apply for that apprenticeship J. A driver’s license was added to my list of spring achievements as well as finishing my high school course work, taking the college placement tests, and obtaining a second part-time job.

Oh, and just a quick update – if you guys could pray for my horse, Sam, he was limping on his right hind leg this morning and I have no clue why (except that maybe it’s because Mom and I went on an 8-mile ride with the horses a week ago and he’s a little stiff from it or maybe his fetlock is sore?). It’s not in his hoof, though, because I tested and he didn’t even flinch…poor baby L

These pictures were taken yesterday - I lunged him with no problems and he didn't act lame at all :-/

Anyways, thanks for reading this far and I hope to be posting more updates soon!